Media and Research Roundup
Image shows a pic of the article headline, “These 7 Black Influencers and Bloggers Are Challenging Fat Phobia”, along with a pic of a medical research lab with a hand placing a vial in a rack.
By Bill and Terri Weitze
May 26, 2021: This New York Times opinion video explains that pandemic weight gain may be a natural response to changes in lifestyle and that we shouldn't buy into the panic the diet industry is trying to stir up because weight is not a reliable indicator of health.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/opinion/dieting-covid-weight-gain.html
June 1, 2021: True Heart Hospice reminds people that size does not indicate the health condition of older people and that fat bodies should be accommodated by healthcare facilities.
https://www.statesman.com/story/sponsor-story/true-heart-hospice/2021/06/01/how-can-they-malnourished-fatphobia-end-life-care-real/7466047002
June 8, 2021: Tennis pro Taylor Townsend shares her story of being a fat black girl (and woman) in the world of tennis, and the lessons she has learned along the way.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/taylor-townsend-tennis
June 9, 2021: Katherine Flegal revisits the attacks on her 2005 study on the association between death and weight, when the objective data from the Flegal report were questioned, implying that Flegal had an agenda other than the accurate representation of data.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2021.06.009
June 10, 2021: A study claims that people who are metabolically healthy with obesity (MHO) are not healthy as they are at a higher risk of certain medical conditions. They claim the term MHO should be avoided as it is misleading, even though MHO only refers to one kind of health.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-021-05484-6
June 14, 2021: Ebony profiles seven fat black women who are influencers and bloggers fighting fatphobia.
https://www.ebony.com/life/these-7-black-influencers-and-bloggers-are-challenging-fatphobia
June 16, 2021: Researchers find that fat ("obese") hospitalized patients are at no greater risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia than lower weight patients; and deaths over 90 days were significantly less for the obese patients.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/pulmonology/pneumonia/93141
https//doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2021.01.081
June 17, 2021: Weight loss surgery (WLS) has severe side effects and should not be offered to teens, whose bodies and brains are still developing. This article presents a glowing view of WLS, but don't believe it.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/06/17/1002602277/bariatric-surgery-works-but-isnt-offered-to-most-teens-who-have-severe-obesity
June 21, 2021: Mariana den Hollander has a message for WLS (weight loss surgery) survivors concerning the mental side effects of WLS.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CQYVyzqjX-z
June 24, 2021: Dr. Robert Rosencrans discusses how healthcare education and research are rife with fatphobia and how he would like to change the discourse on fat and diseases associated with fatness to reflect the same reasoning shown in other diseases.
https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/opinions/062421/putting-body-weight-in-context
June 27, 2021: Fat people don't always avoid seeing the doctor, sometimes they are barred from access to healthcare because of their size and the lack of suitable equipment, leaving patients with fewer and fewer options.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/ongoing-nightmare-obese-people-face-major-obstacles-when-seeking-medical-n1272019
June 29, 2021: Denounced by nutrition and eating disorder experts, a dental device that locks patients' jaws 2 millimeters from shut is proposed for weight loss. After two weeks, seven women wearing the device had lost about 14 pounds each, but weight gain was occurring by two weeks after the end of the trial.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/experts-call-weight-loss-device-004651178.html
July 1, 2021: Pinterest is banning all weight loss ads. Pinterest developed its new weight neutral policy with the support of the National Eating Disorders Association.
https://www.engadget.com/pinterest-weight-loss-ad-ban-130049016.html
July 5, 2021: Inspired by an episode of Aidy Bryant's TV show Shrill, Fat Babes Club of Columbus formed and hosts pool parties, roller skating meet ups, yoga, and other activities for its members, providing a safe place for fat bodies to meet and socialize.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2021/06/30/fat-babes-club-columbus-pool-parties-yoga-classes/7719369002
July 6, 2021: ETimes gives six ways that a parent can help teach their children to love and respect their bodies at any size.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/parenting/toddler-year-and-beyond/how-to-inculcate-body-positivity-in-your-kid/photostory/84173847.cms
July 7, 2021: Based on the available data, all COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. are found to be as effective for people with obesity as for others.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/93463
https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23251
July 12, 2021: Marilyn Wann and Peggy Howell provide information on how employers can include size as part of its employee diversity training and accommodations.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90474839/5-ways-your-workplace-isnt-accommodating-to-fat-people
Pic is of Terri and Bill Weitze, a Caucasian couple, both wearing glasses
Terri and Bill Weitze have been active within NAAFA for years, and they currently coauthor the Media and Research Roundup in the NAAFA Newsletter. They both live and work in San Jose, CA, and met through a fat-positive bulletin board system before the days of the World Wide Web.